Israeli student wins case against university

UKLFI is a group of lawyers that supports Israel using their legal skills. UKLFI employs advocacy, legal research and campaigning in order to combat attempts to undermine, attack or delegitimise Israel, Israeli organisations, Israelis, and / or supporters of Israel.

 

 

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UKLFI in the media

Last Friday’s JC mentions UKLFI’s assistance to the Zionist Federation in writing to ten MPs (including the Green Party’s Caroline Lucas) whose constituencies are covered by Southern Water, advising them that a boycott of Arad, an Israeli company supplying water meters, could form discrimination by nationality and be illegal.

Israeli student wins case against university
Jonathan Turner

The Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA), which rules on complaints against British universities, has recommended that Warwick University make a full apology to Israeli student Smadar Bakovic, and pay her £1,000 in compensation.

Ms Bakovic studied for an MA at Warwick, writing her dissertation on the subject of the feelings of identity of Israeli Arabs. The University allocated as supervisor Dr Nicola Pratt, a proponent of boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Israel. Ms Bakovic asked for a different supervisor at the outset but the University refused. Dr Pratt and another member of the department gave a mediocre mark, bringing Ms Bakovic's average down below the level required for a distinction. They criticised a footnote, in which she referred to the fact that minorities in Arab countries do not have equal citizenship rights, as evidence of her "tendency ... to adopt Israeli/Zionist narratives as though they were uncontested facts".
 
Ms Bakovic appealed to the University's complaints committee, which held that Dr Pratt's supervision had been "exemplary" but that Ms Bakovic's educational experience had been adversely affected by the fact that she did not have confidence in Dr Pratt and that the department should have accepted her request for an alternative supervisor. They concluded that she should be permitted to revise her dissertation under alternative supervision and that it should then be re-marked. Following minor revisions, the mark was increased by 9%, resulting in a distinction overall. However, the University did not criticise Dr Pratt, did not apologise, and did not offer any compensation for the distress caused and time wasted.
 
Ms Bakovic submitted a complaint to the OIA with the assistance of members of UK Lawyers for Israel. The OIA rejected the complaint so far as it sought a finding that Dr Pratt was biased, essentially on jurisdictional grounds, but upheld the complaint in so far as it sought a formal apology and compensation for distress and time wasted.
 
We wish to congratulate Ms Bakovic for standing up for her rights and sending a very clear message to Warwick University that we will not accept anti-Israel bias on campus.

Information Commissioner backs UKLFI against Hackney Council in Freedom of Information complaint

Hackney Council have failed, despite reminders, to reply to a Freedom of Information request we sent them in December 2012 seeking details of applications to hire their halls and meeting rooms. We were – and are – hoping to find out whether the Council has (again) breached its own rules by letting to anti-Zionist organisations promoting campaigns and issues which are offensive to the Jewish community.

We complained to the Information Commissioner, who will issue a decision notice calling on the Council to provide a response.

If Hackney fails to comply within the time laid down, the Information Commissioner can ask the High Court to deal with the Council "as if it had committed a contempt of court".

Salaries for Suicide Bombers: David Lewis gives “la’ana” to DFID

This International Business Times report mentions a letter from Alan Duncan, Minister of State in the Department for International Development, to Mike Freer MP, in which Mr Duncan wrote, “… the PA’s law refers to [its payments to terrorist prisoners in Israeli jails] as ‘salaries’ … The PA has now changed the wording … to unambiguously refer to the payment as assistance – ‘la’ana.’”

These words rang a bell, and on checking I was pleased to confirm that Alan Duncan’s letter to Mike Freer was prompted by “an email from your constituent, Mr David Lewis … about DFID’s support to the Palestinian Authority … in the context of recent allegations by Palestinian Media Watch”.

Unfortunately the British government continues to subsidise terrorism, using terminology to cover its tracks, and (as always) impervious to reason.  Sadly I have not had the time to pursue this matter as it deserves, and would welcome any volunteer with the time and energy to do so (it will be listed in the next Bulletin).